Many Hispanic people with HIV experience health care discrimination, study finds
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Nearly one in four Hispanic or Latino people with HIV experiences health care discrimination, and it is more often experienced by non-white Hispanic people than by white Hispanic people, according to a study.
Researchers found that the most prevalent stigma among Hispanic or Latino people was concerns about sharing their HIV status and the most reported form of discrimination was feeling that a clinician was not listening to them.
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“Hispanic and Latino people with HIV report higher stigma that other racial and ethnic groups. We wanted to explore differences in experiences of stigma and discrimination within the Hispanic and Latino population,” Mabel Padilla, MPH, lead author of the study and an epidemiologist in the CDC’s HIV prevention division, told Healio in an email.
“Hispanic and Latino people are often treated as a monolith when we are a very diverse community as it relates to factors like race, primary language, place of birth and Hispanic origin, to name a few characteristics. We wanted to disaggregate our data according to these factors to uncover disparate experiences within this diverse population,” Padilla said.
For the study, the researchers analyzed data from the Medical Monitoring Project, an annual, cross-sectional study meant to help generate national estimates of the experiences and outcomes of adults with HIV.
They analyzed data from the 2018, 2019 and 2020 study cycles on 2,690 Hispanic or Latino adults with HIV in the United States to assess self-reported stigma and health care discrimination.
Data revealed that 23% experienced overall health care discrimination. This was experienced more by Hispanic or Latino men (23%) than women (18%), as well as by Black Hispanic people (28%) than by white Hispanic people (21%).
Specifically, however, women experienced health care stigma more often, whereas men were more likely to experience health care discrimination.
The researchers said the study indicates that although stigma and discrimination among this population are related, they “are distinct concepts experienced differently by Hispanic men and women.” Going further, they noted that more Hispanic or Latino men with HIV identify as gay or bisexual, in comparison with women in the study, suggesting sexual orientation may also play a role.
Padilla said future studies should explore these disparities, and that “a one-size-fits-all approach might not be effective in reducing stigma and discrimination in this population.”
Studies in recent years have found the highest increases in HIV and AIDS cases are among Hispanic and Latino people, and that there are disparities in the care they receive, even more so among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men.
Both stigma and discrimination are barriers to HIV care engagement and adherence, Padilla said, and it is important for clinicians to consciously overcome these barriers.
“Conversations can be informed by a trauma-informed approach. Clinicians can also ensure that interpreter services and translated materials are available for Hispanic and Latino people with limited English proficiency — being able to communicate in their primary language is key,” Padilla said.
“It’s important for clinicians to have conversations about HIV stigma and discrimination, especially as people with HIV note that stigma and discrimination are top concerns, and that addressing these concerns is key for HIV care engagement and treatment.”
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